222 BACTERIA IN MILK AND MILK PRODUCTS 



The most recent sore-throat outbreak due to consumption of 

 infected milk occurred in Finchley in 1904. Some 500 cases came 

 to the knowledge of the medical officer of health (Prof. Kenwood) 

 of the district, and another fifty occurred in the outlying neighbour- 

 hood. The incubation period was twenty-four to forty-eight hours, 

 followed by enlargement of submaxillary glands, sore throat, fever, 

 and general malaise. In a few cases there was a measles-like eruption 

 on the lower limbs. Professor Kenwood formed the opinion that the 

 epidemic was due to disease in the cows furnishing the milk, but no 

 specific organism was discovered.* A somewhat similar outbreak 

 occurred in the same district in 1894. 



Pus in Milk. — It may here be stated that not infrequently milk 

 contains pus cells, and there can be little doubt that such milk 

 may set up disease in persons consuming it. 



Stokes and Wegefarth made an inquiry into the subject some 

 years ago, counting the number of pus cells in the field of the micro- 

 scope in milk from cows kept under various conditions of insanitation. 

 Takiag one pus cell in the field as a standard, Stokes and Wegefarth 

 found 25 per cent, of the milks of country cows, kept under good 

 conditions, and 88 per cent, of town cows, kept under bad con- 

 ditions, contained pus cells. Eastes, who made an examination of 

 186 London milks, found pus cells present in 30 per cent., muco-pus 

 in 487 per cent., and streptococci in 75'2 per cent.f An in- 

 vestigation of milk in St Pancras in 1899 yielded 24 per cent, of 

 samples containing pus cells. J Foulerton, examiaing a series of 

 milks from Pinsbury in 1903, found pus and alUed cells in 32 per cent, 

 of them, staphylococci in 28 per cent., and streptococci in 32 per 

 cent. Forty per cent, of the samples examined contained "foreign 

 dirt."§ Mucous threads are commonly found in milk containing pus. 

 Such threads probably consist of nucleo-albumia, and when occurriag 

 with pus cells, the condition of " muco-pus " is present. This is held 

 to indicate inflammatory lesion of the ducts of the udder, and not 

 abscess formation in the substance of the gland. Blood corpuscles 

 are not rare in milk, particularly soon after lactation. The last and 

 least important kind of cell is that of the epithelium. Such scales 

 may be derived, either from the hand of the milker or from the 

 teats of the udder. Epithelial cells are large and nucleated. Milk 

 containing many blood cells, mucous threads, and leucocytes, and 

 milk containiag any pus cells, should be looked upon as unfit for 

 human consumption. Eastes, Hoist, Mven, Stokes, Bergey, Hirsch, 

 and others, have drawn attention to the ill effects which streptococcal 



* Special Report of Medkal Officer of Stoke Newington, 1904. 

 t Brit. Med. Jour., 1899, vol. ii., p. 1342. 

 j Report on Health of St Pancras, 1899, pp. 61-66 (Dr Sykes). 

 § Report on Milk Supply of Finshury, 1903, p. 44. 



